Press Release

For Immediate Release
August 31, 2010

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) hosted a public forum on Social Security at the Elmcor Senior Center. Joined by Assemblyman Jeff Aubry, Crowley commemorated the 75th anniversary of the enactment of Social Security and discussed how he is protecting the program from the latest Republican efforts to privatize Social Security. Crowley and Aubry also addressed questions from the center’s seniors.

“Seventy-five years ago, America’s seniors were made a promise of economic security and stability – a promise that after a lifetime of hard work, their financial future would be protected,” said Congressman Crowley. “Republicans are no longer committed to this promise. Instead, they have reignited the Bush-era agenda by calling for the privatization of Social Security. Seniors, and many other Americans for that matter, made clear five years ago they are not willing to subject their hard-earned Social Security benefits to the whims of the market and they are doing so once again. After seeing how much private retirement accounts lost during the Republican recession, it is clear that Americans do not want to gamble on their financial future by handing it over to Wall Street.” 

Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, Social Security was created at a time when the American economy had crumbled and was struggling to recover. Pensions were almost non-existent, and a majority of seniors were unable to support themselves after retirement. Today, more than 50 million Americans, including 3.2 million in New York, rely on Social Security’s guaranteed benefits for retirement security or to make ends meet, put food on the table and stay in their homes.

“Hard-working Americans who have paid into the system for almost their entire lives earned this guaranteed benefit, not the threat of an uncertain future based on whether the markets are up or down,” said Crowley. “We must continue to uphold the promise of Social Security for seniors today, and for many generations to come.”

Today’s event at the Elmcor Senior Center is part of Congressman Crowley’s ongoing efforts to meet with seniors across the 7th Congressional District to discuss his commitment to preserve and strengthen Social Security.

Congressman Crowley is the six-term representative from the 7th Congressional District of New York, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx. He sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which oversees Social Security.

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